


sea legs

by loonyloopy



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 03:36:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5076277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loonyloopy/pseuds/loonyloopy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Varric and Cullen talk on the journey from Kirkwall to Ferelden</p>
            </blockquote>





	sea legs

The ocean smelled of salt. Varric wasn’t the biggest fan of all that water and some of the gulls tried to shit on his head since the start of this journey, which made writing on deck nearly impossible. His sea legs weren’t the best either and he still wondered why Isabela loved ships so much. He very much preferred solid ground beneath his boots. Not to mention that he was still technically a prisoner and somewhere his lovely Seeker was probably trying to find new ways of torturing him with questions and stabbing his works. 

Varric sighed and rubbed his temples. He would never confess it to her, but he was already feeling a bit homesick. During the last years Kirkwall hasn’t been more than broken rubble, blood and sweat. It still was his rubble and he helped rebuilding it, blackmailed the guild for more money, while finding shelter for the sick and homeless. What a saint he had become.

However, without Hawke the city felt even more empty and nah, he didn’t want to get all touchy feely right now. Maybe fresh air would lift his mood. The under decks were stuffy and dark and all around not a good place to be. So it was worth a try.

He found his favourite spot on deck occupied by Cullen. No longer a templar, but shoulders and back still as straight as ever and his posture every inch an military man. Something about his posture looked slouched though and his hands were held tight against the railing. With the wind ruffling his blond hair, he almost looked liked the cover of one of his shadier books. Just a touch sadder, slightly more lost and tried. Pale skin and dark shadows beneath the eyes seemed not that markable when trying to sell a romance. 

Maybe a warrior, who was troubled by his past? A long lost love? He could work the dramatic angle of dying love interests or something equally dramatic. He would take notes later, start working on something to keep his mind occupied and whole. Cullen wasn’t the only one, who battled nightmares and fears.

Varric decided to stand beside him for now. After all it couldn’t hurt. Cullen wasn’t know for his talkative nature or enjoyable company, but he had seen how the guy helped Kirkwall and that deserved an inch of respect. Aveline and him were quite scary when brought together and ordering people around and they did such stuff a lot after the Chantry disaster. Cassandra invited him to join her little Inquisition and he hadn’t hesitated for long and quit the Order.

The sun was already low on the ocean, making the water glitter in different shades of orange and red. Waves crashed lazily against the ship.

“Picturesque.”

“It’s so vast.” Cullen’s voice was hoarse and his eyes distant and Varric wondered, if he had just talked to himself or even noticed the dwarf standing beside him.

“No kidding.”

“Ah, I mean…”

“I know, Curly. Don’t sweat about it.”

For a while they were silent. The ocean lulled them in and and Varric ignored the slight trembling in Cullen’s hands. A man had to have his secrets. This one even more than others and he really had to stop trying to befriend the helpless cases, because look where it got him.

Varric pointed in the general direction of Kirkwall. The coastline hasn’t been in sight for some hours and they were nearing Ferelden at rapid speed.

“Are you ready to leave all that behind?”

“All of it.”

The answer was surprisingly steady and fast and Cullen still wouldn’t meet Varric’s gaze.

“I was there during the Blight and the Circle.” Then he smiled and it didn’t reach his eyes, but it was a start. He turned around to look at the dwarf. 

“It can’t be worse.”

Varric laughed and patted Cullen’s back.

“You know, for a first attempt at optimism, it wasn’t bad.”


End file.
